There are many melodramatic moments in Oliver Twist. However there is a very definite pattern of techniques whenever the scene is melodramatic. This pattern is that whenever Dickens is trying to create a melodramatic scene he uses emotive language to make us feel sympathy for Oliver.
One of the best ways in which Dickens does this is by making Oliver out to be innocent and gullible.
This is shown when Oliver is so enthusiastic about saying goodbye to Dick before he goes to London when he knows he shouldn’t be, as he does not want to waste time lingering after he has just escaped. This firstly shows that Oliver has a very high regard for Dick. However Dick then tells Oliver that he is dying and basically that he will never see Oliver again. “I heard the doctor tell them I was dying” and later qualifies that by saying “After I’ am dead”.
Nevertheless Oliver just completely denies the truth by saying that he will see Dick again. “I shall see you again, Dick. I know I shall! You will be well and happy!”
Oliver does this because he obviously likes or loves Dick(they kiss each other) so much that he will not face up to the fact that Dick is going to die and Oliver will never see him again.
Therefore how can you not feel sympathy for someone who denies the truth just so they can believe what they want? This sympathy is felt even more strongly by the fact that they are two, small, vulnerable, sweet, children. The Victorians particularly liked sentimental scenes as this melodramatic form of writing was still new and exciting to them.
One of the best examples of emotive language in Oliver Twist is at the beginning of chapter 7 when Oliver is locked in the cellar. Dickens makes Oliver seem so sad and alone by his use of emotive language and alliteration. Just in the first sentence where he says “It was not until he was left alone in the silence and stillness of the gloomy workshop of the undertaker, that Oliver gave way to the feelings which the days treatment may be supposed likely to have awakened in a mere child.”
The words high lighted in red just show the emotive language used and the effect they create. He also makes very effective use of alliteration when he says “silence and stillness”. If the sentence was worded differently it would not have the affect Dickens was looking for. E.g.: (It was not until he was by himself in the quiet workshop of the funeral parlour that he became very upset.)
As well as this vocabulary being very emotive it is also extremely negative and depressing.
Oliver Twist was not first published as a novel but in magazines. This first happened in 1837 when he started releasing Oliver Twist into the Bentleys Misscellany magazine every month. He released 24 instalments in this magazine starting with the “more please” scene. The instalments stopped in 1839 just after the book was published in the December of 1838.
However because his novel was stretched out over magazines, in instalments, Dickens had to make sure that his characters were truly memorable so that they stuck in you mind/ exaggerated.
Fagin, a typical melodramatic character is a perfect example of this. Dickens describes Fagin from so many different angles and perspectives; he describes him in such a way that it is impossible not to hate him, which makes him the perfect villain.
“The walls and ceiling of the room were perfectly black with age and dirt. There was a deal table before the fire: upon which were a candle, stuck in a ginger-beer bottle, two or three pewter pots, a loaf and butter, and a plate. In a frying-pan, which was
on the fire, and which was secured to the mantelshelf by a string, some sausages were cooking; and standing over them, with a toasting-fork in his hand, was a very old shrivelled Jew, whose villainous-looking and repulsive face was obscured by a quantity of matted red hair. He was dressed in a greasy flannel gown, with his throat bare; and seemed to be dividing his attention between the frying-pan and the clothes-horse, over which a great number of silk handkerchiefs were hanging.”
This passage immediately depicts a stereotypical villain. Firstly Dickens has described him as “repulsive”, “very old and shrivelled”, “obscured face” and “dressed in a greasy flannel gown”. This is very stereotypical for a villain.
Dickens also says that he has “matted red hair” and “with a toasting fork in his hand” and is standing in front of the fire.
This is often exactly how the devil is depicted. The toasting fork acting as a Trident, the devil often described with red hair and the fire acting as ‘Hell’.
Another clever point that Dickens makes is he says that Fagin is a “shrivelled Jew”. In the 19th century are society was much more racist and we saw Jews to be inferior to us, so naturally people would of seen this as even more of a reason for Fagin to be evil.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons why we still remember the book so well today because we look back to how are society was and how we have developed. Maybe people now have read the book and understood this racist and elitist society which we used to live in and relate it to times in the 20th century; Hitler and the Holocaust/ anti-Jew.
In light of these events it could be argued that everyone in the Victorian/19th century society was the evil racist fascist people and Fagin was the poor innocent Villain?
This also shows that in the 19th century we had very similar values (Homophobic, racist, anti-Jew) to the Nazi party, which is why Dickens uses the book, ‘Oliver Twist’ to mock the 19th century society, and Dickens was probably one of the first people who helped change the society, and contributed in making, what we live in today (multi cultural society).
When Oliver first arrives in London Dickens makes a point of describing London as this dark dingy place of filth and crime. He does this to show the contrast of life between where Oliver did live ‘in the workhouse’ and the streets of London.
“Although Oliver had enough to occupy his attention in keeping
sight of his leader, he could not help bestowing a few hasty
glances on either side of the way, as he passed along. A dirtier
or more wretched place he had never seen. The street was very
narrow and muddy, and the air was impregnated with filthy odours.
There were a good many small shops; but the only stock in trade
appeared to be heaps of children, who, even at that time of
night, were crawling in and out at the doors, or screaming from
the inside. The sole places that seemed to prosper amid the
general blight of the place, were the public-houses; and in them,
the lowest orders of Irish were wrangling with might and main.
Covered ways and yards, which here and there diverged from the
main street, disclosed little knots of houses, where drunken men
and women were positively wallowing in filth; and from several of
the door-ways, great ill-looking fellows were cautiously
emerging, bound, to all appearance, on no very well-disposed or
harmless errands.”
This description immediately paints a dark, eerie, abysmal atmosphere in your head, and Dickens really emphasises the filth of the city.
One of the first things Dickens writes about the city is “Although Oliver had enough to occupy his attention in keeping
sight of his leader, he could not help bestowing a few hasty
glances on either side of the way, as he passed along. A dirtier
or more wretched place he had never seen.”
This really shows the hate that Dickens wants you to have for London as ‘wretched’ is such a strong word’. Its actual definition is to ‘to be despised’ and ‘very inferior’.
Dickens then goes on to say “There were a good many small shops; but the only stock in trade appeared to be heaps of children.” This tells us the city is in poverty. This is clever of Dickens as he doesn’t actually tell us that London is in poverty but he still gets the point across. He also creates almost a refuge atmosphere by Dickens use of emotive language, as he does not say ‘the only stock the shops had were lots of children’ he says ‘heaps of children’. He describes them as they were animals.
Dickens also just describes the filth and squalor in London by saying “The air was impregnated with filthy odours” and he also writes, “positively wallowing in filth”, “muddy” and “dirtier”.
Impregnated is a very strong adjective and fundamentally means ‘saturated’, so Dickens is actually saying that the air is saturated with filth, and this very effectively makes you almost feel sick.
Dickens also says wallowing which means ‘to roll in filth’ but Dickens then almost qualifies wallowing by saying ‘positively wallowing’.
Dickens really brings the chase scene to life and makes it truly memorable but he accomplishes this in many ways.
After Oliver starts running and the chase really begins Dickens builds up the tension and makes everything extremely busy by one long sentence.
“Stop thief! Stop thief!' There is a magic in the sound. The tradesman leaves his counter, and the car-man his waggon; the
butcher throws down his tray; the baker his basket; the milkman
his pail; the errand-boy his parcels; the school-boy his marbles;
the paviour his pickaxe; the child his battledore. Away they
run.”
This sentence rally gets your heart pumping, and it doesn’t give you a chance to breath, but you have to read on because it’s so exciting. After this sentence he carries on for the rest of the chase with this sentence structure; long sentences which don’t give you a chance to breath. When Oliver is caught, Dickens makes the sentences short and snappy again which really adds to the affect.
However when Oliver is brutally stopped “stopped at last! A clever blow” the tone and atmosphere changes. Now Oliver is down on the floor hurt we feel sympathy for Oliver as he is just a poor child even if he did steal something (although we know he didn’t). However we feel even more sympathy for Oliver because not only has been wrongly accused but he was chased and betrayed by his only friends, the Artful Dodger and Master Bates.
Something else that Dickens does in the chase is that he makes an extremely good use of description and adjectives.
Dickens describes Oliver as “ One wretched breathless child, panting with exhaustion; terror in his looks; agony in his eyes; large drops of perspiration streaming down his face, strains every nerve to make head upon his pursuers.”
Dickens describes so many emotions in that one sentence and makes you feel so sympathetic for Oliver. He says that Oliver has ‘terror in his looks’. This is a very strong choice of word as it means ‘intense fear’ but it really shows what is happening.
All of this makes the chase even more memorable as Oliver has been chased, hit, betrayed, hurt and been left all alone but he didn’t do anything. However this chase seen is another perfect melodramatic example as Dickens so cleverly exaggerates this scene. He describes it almost as if it were some kind of battle, as people would not literally chase after this tiny little boy like flocks of geese and begin to hit Oliver. This exaggeration of the chase builds up this enormous sentimentality for Oliver which readers would have loved in the 19th century.
Oliver Twist is obviously one of the greatest novels written. Dickens manages to ensure that Oliver’s early adventures in London are truly memorable through a gripping fast moving storyline, the creation of the unique larger than life characters of Fagin, Artful Dodger and Mr Fang and the vivid critical descriptions of life in London. In addition using a melodramatic style Dickens was and is able to evoke emotions within his reader/audience. At the time that Dickens wrote Oliver Twist part of the impact of Oliver’s adventures in London would have been the social relevance of the poverty and crime in London. Today it could be argued that it serves as a reminder of what life used to be like in London in Victorian times and that from a charitable and compassionate viewpoint society has moved on.
